EQ: Lions, Earthquakes, Hydropower, Climate Change and More

EQ: Your weekly environment quotient.

For representational purpose. (Photo: iStockphoto)

E-India

• Lions out for a stroll: In a remarkable early morning sighting, lions were seen walking the streets of Junagadh in Gujarat. Junagadh is close to the Gir Forest, which is home to India’s only surviving lions.
  

An Asiatic lion rests in Gir forest. Photo for representation. (Photo: Reuters)

• India’s cities ranked on waste management: A new study by the CSE has ranked Alappuzha, Panaji and Mysuru as the cities best at managing solid waste. 14 cities were surveyed in an attempt to study best practices in the country.
  

Schoolgirls walk past a burning garbage dump in Mumbai. (Photo: AP)

• Major earthquake fault below Bangladesh and India: Scientists have presented new evidence for a potential massive earthquake lurking below the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. Such a quake could devastate the region.
  

Hundreds of millions of people could be affected if an earthquake strikes the region. (Photo: iStockphoto)

E-Energy

• The hazards of hydropower: Hydropower projects on the Kosi River have been touted as the answer to financial and energy woes. How realistic are these projects? A fascinating four part series takes a look.
  

Dams can ruin river ecosystems. Photo for representation. (Photo: iStock)

E-Renewables

• Are batteries finally coming of age? Experts have predicted that once battery storage technology improves, renewable energy deployment would massively increase. By some accounts, the battery revolution could finally be near.
  

No more disposable batteries in the near future? (Photo: iStock)

E-Law

• Criminal charges against Telangana power officials: The NGT’s Southern Bench has ordered penal proceedings to be initiated against the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation for starting work on a power station without due environmental clearance.
  

River and dam in Telangana. (Photo: iStock)

E-Stat

5 trillion: The estimated number of cigarette butts discarded outdoors globally.

Cigarette butts lie in an ashtray outside an office building. (Photo: Reuters)

E-International

• 250,000 lives lost to climate change from 2030: An alarming WTO report states that climate change impacts are likely to kill 250,000 more people each year from 2030. India is already extremely vulnerable to such impacts.
  

Climate change could exacerbate desertification. (Photo: Flickr/Daniel Bachhuber)

E- Nature

• Cigarette butts contaminating marine environment: Researchers have warned that metals leaching into the seas from discarded cigarettes could pose a massive risk for both marine and human life.

Cigarette companies have substantial wriggle room thanks to India’s complex tax structure (Photo: IndiaSpend)

E-Agriculture

• Food waste creating environmental havoc: A new report tracking food habits in the USA has noted that throwing away produce that doesn’t “look perfect” has a hugely negative impact on the environment.

Food wasted in the US is destroying natural environments. (Photo: iStock)

E-Video

• NASA’s Juno spacecraft has finally reached Jupiter! Learn more about the mission here:

E-Quiz

• Where in India would you find the Nameri National Park? (a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Goa (c) Punjab (d) Assam
  
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Shalini Iyengar is a lawyer and Research Associate at the International University College of Turin.